The Ballad of the White Horse

Summary

Chesterton's ballad tells how King Alfred, beaten and hiding in the marshes, gathers the Saxon chiefs for a last stand against the Danes at Ethandune. In galloping rhyme it makes the war a clash of Christian and pagan worlds, and it ends with the white horse on the hill being scoured. This book uses the racial and other slurs of its period as written; the Book Guide explains these words where they occur.

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI assistant, from the text of the book.

Read in another language

• Spanish · description available; chapters remain in English
• Italian · description available; chapters remain in English

Chapters (9)

1. 1. Dedication
2. 2. Book I. the Vision of the King
3. 3. Book II. the Gathering of the Chiefs
4. 4. Book III. the Harp of Alfred
5. 5. Book IV. the Woman in the Forest
6. 6. Book V. Ethandune: the First Stroke
7. 7. Book VI. Ethandune: the Slaying of the Chiefs
8. 8. Book VII. Ethandune: the Last Charge
9. 9. Book VIII. the Scouring of the Horse